Hemorrhoid – Understanding Its Causes and Symptoms
No one likes to talk about hemorrhoids
or piles – and even fewer seek help to treat this painful condition.
Indeed, from the sparse information on hemorrhoids in magazines and newspapers, one might think that hemorrhoids are rare.
Actually, hemorrhoids may be one of the most prevalent ailments in the United States.
If you are suffering silently from hemorrhoids, you are not alone.
It’s estimated that about 100 million Americans are suffering with you. In fact, more than half of the US population develops hemorrhoids by the age of 50!
What are the symptoms of hemorrhoids .?
All of us have hemorrhoidal veins in the anal area, both inside and outside of the anus.
In hemorrhoids, these veins are irritated and swollen, causing hemorrhoids symptoms such as pain, itching, bleeding, burning sensation and general discomfort.
There are two types of hemorrhoids:
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External hemorrhoidsIn external hemorrhoids (or hemorrhoids outside of the anus), swollen veins form a soft lump .
around the anal opening. If blood clot develops, this lump would turn hard or become painful thrombosed hemorrhoids
External hemorrhoids are usually very painful, since the skin tissue around the anus is densely covered with nerve endings. |
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Internal hemorrhoidsInternal hemorrhoids, on the other hand, are usually not painful because of the lack of nerve endings inside the anal canal. . Indeed, most people are not aware of their internal hemorrhoids until they become irritated and bleed during bowel movement. Here, hard stool rubbing against internal hemorrhoids cause them to rupture, resulting in blood on the stool, toilet paper, or even droplets of bright red blood in the toilet bowl. Internal hemorrhoids can “prolapse” or become pushed outside of the anal opening. In rare instances, the sphincter muscle can go into spasm and trap the prolapsed hemorrhoids outside of the anus. This cuts the blood circulation into the strangulated hemorrhoids. Prolapsed and strangulated hemorrhoids are serious conditions that require immediate medical attention.
. Likewise, bleeding of any amount from the anus should be checked by a doctor since it may be due to cancer or other serious medical conditions. |
What are the causes of hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are most likely caused by diet and straining on the toilet. Actually, these two factors are linked: eating bad food leads to constipation, which leads to straining on the toilet.
It has been suggested that the Western diet, which is rich in processed food and lacking in fiber, also contributes to hemorrhoids. Indeed, hemorrhoids are rare in less-developed African countries where the diet is rich in roughage and fiber. As the population in these countries change their diet to include more processed food, the incidence of hemorrhoids increase.
The style of modern toilet, unfortunately, encourage straining. Some people also read while sitting on the toilet, adding undue pressure to the anal veins. .
Other fac tors that contribute
to hemorrhoids include aging, heredity, bouts of diarrhea, using laxatives.
For women, pregnancy is often a factor as the fetus puts pressure on the hemorrhoidal veins. .
Fortunately, in most instances, hemorrhoids self-heal. This means that unless you do something to cause flare ups (i.e. continue to strain when defecating or have chronic constipation or diarrea) most hemorrhoids resolve themselves without any intervention.
However, the weakened walls of the distended veins in hemorrhoids will cause it to be prone to future flare ups. This is why people say once you have hemorrhoids, you’ll always hemorrhoids.
Prevention of Hemorrhoids
If you are lucky enough not to have hemorrhoids, there are some things you can do to prevent them. Even if you already have hemorrhoids, it is possible to prevent flare ups. Buy Cialis These include:
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Change your diet to include more bran or fiber and drinking more waterRefined or processed foods typically have little fiber content and lots of animal fats. These type of food do not have enough roughage for the intestine to pass the stool easily, thus leading to straining on the toilet. Instead, eat more bran, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid foods that may cause indigestion, cause gas and flatulence, or diarrhea. Drinking more water also makes stool softer. In addition to reducing straining, passing softer stool is also less likely to irritate existing hemorrhoids. |
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Change your bowel habitDon’t wait when “nature calls”, otherwise your s tool can dry or harden, thus more difficult to pass. Also, avoid straining, as well as sitting and reading on the toilet. Most of the time, it takes only 2 to 5 minutes to pass stool. Wash the anus well after the urge is gone and leave the toilet. |
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Exercise and don’t sit around for too longKeeping an active lifestyle can help reduce the pressure on the veins and keep you from getting constipated.
Sitting or standing for too long can add undue pressure to hemorrhoidal veins. Take frequent breaks from your desk job and move around to prevent hemorrhoids.
A number of factors may lead to the formations of hemorrhoids including irregular bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea), exercise, nutrition (low-fiber diet), increased intra-abdominal pressure (prolonged straining), pregnancy, genetics, absence of valves within the hemorrhoidal veins, and aging. Other factors that can increase the rectal vein pressure resulting in hemorrhoids include obesity and sitting for long periods of time. During pregnancy, pressure from the fetus on the abdomen and hormonal changes cause the hemorrhoidal vessels to enlarge. Delivery also leads to increased intra-abdominal pressures.Surgical treatment is rarely needed, as symptoms usually resolve post delivery. The best way to prevent hemorrhoids is to keep stools soft so they pass easily, thus decreasing pressure and straining, and to empty bowels as soon as possible after the urge occurs.
Exercise, including walking, and increased fiber in the diet help reduce constipation and straining by producing stools that are softer and easier to pass Spending less time attempting to defecate and avoiding reading while on the toilet have been recommended |
There are two types of hemorrhoids,
external and internal
“which are differentiated via their position with respect to the dentate line.”
External
External hemorrhoids are those that occur below the dentate line. They may actually be concealed from view however.
Specifically, they are varicosities of the veins draining
the territory of the inferior rectal arteries, which are branches of the internal pudendal artery.
They are sometimes painful, and often accompanied by swelling and irritation. Itching, although often thought to be a symptom of external hemorrhoids, is more commonly due to skin irritation.
The skin irritation may be brought about by the inflammation of
the external hemorrhoid which in turn leads to a barely noticeable watery discharge and skin irritation.
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External hemorrhoids are prone to thrombosis: if the vein ruptures and/or a blood clot develops, the hemorrhoid becomes a thrombosed hemorrhoid.
Internal
Internal hemorrhoids are those that occur above the dentate line. Specifically, they are varicosities of veins draining the territory
of branches of the superior rectal arteries.
As this area lacks pain receptors, internal hemorrhoids are usually not painful and most people are not aware that they have them. Internal hemorrhoids, however, may bleed when irritated.
Untreated internal hemorrhoids can lead to two severe forms of hemorrhoids: prolapsed and strangulated hemorrhoids. Prolapsed hemorrhoids are internal hemorrhoids that are so distended that they are pushed outside the anus.
If the anal sphincter muscle goes into spasm and traps a prolapsed hemorrhoid outside the anal opening, the supply of blood is cut off, and the hemorrhoid becomes a strangulated hemorrhoid.
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